Tonya Daspit, a Houma resident and employee at Express Po' Boy on Park Avenue, said the new bridge sounds like a good idea.

“The bridge next to us (Lafayette Bridge) is only for cars, so hopefully this new bridge will give people another access to cross the bayou,” she said.

New decorative light fixtures will go up at Goode and Main streets in 2013 as well.

The state Department of Transportation and Development is going to exchange the existing poles with decorative ones, like the ones already on St. Charles Street, Bray said. The parish is going to pay the difference for the pole exchange, which is about $7,000.

The new poles come as part of the parish's beautification efforts via the Downtown Development Corp. The money comes from the parish's general fund.

Houma's Main Street Manager Anne Picou said the new light posts will be “more aesthetic to the downtown area.”

An existing pedestrian bridge in Dularge that connects La. 315 to Dr. Beatrous Road, near the Dularge Recreation Gym, is expected to be reconstructed into a span for vehicles, Bray said.

“What we are about to do is include a new pedestrian walkway alongside the bridge for pedestrian traffic,” she said.

Money for the bridge comes from local taxes. Bray said the bid just came in at around $600,000.

Bray said these construction projects are expected to have little to no impact on traffic.

<p>Construction is expected to begin sometime in 2013 on a pedestrian bridge over Bayou Terrebonne in Houma. </p><p>The bridge is one of a few projects city officials hope will move from planning to reality in the coming year.</p><p>The bridge will be near the rear of the La Petite Theatre — where Grinage Street dead ends — and connect Main Street to the new parking lot on Park Avenue.</p><p>It will be similar to the one by the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum, said Capital Projects Manager Jeanne Bray.</p><p>Plans are still in the preliminary stages, so a local cost estimate will vary depending on the money the parish receives from the state and other sources, Bray said.</p><p>Parish President Michel Claudet said he hopes to use some leftover money from the Bayou Walk project in addition to other aid.</p><p>“It's looking very good at the present time,” he said. “It'll facilitate people trying to go downtown and make it more accessible.” </p><p>The bridge will also make parking more accessible to businesses on Park Avenue, Bray said.</p><p>“A lot of downtown business don't have parking on the Park Avenue side,” Bray said. “This allows pedestrians to cross Bayou Terrebonne in multiple locations.”</p><p>Tonya Daspit, a Houma resident and employee at Express Po' Boy on Park Avenue, said the new bridge sounds like a good idea.</p><p>“The bridge next to us (Lafayette Bridge) is only for cars, so hopefully this new bridge will give people another access to cross the bayou,” she said.</p><p>New decorative light fixtures will go up at Goode and Main streets in 2013 as well.</p><p>The state Department of Transportation and Development is going to exchange the existing poles with decorative ones, like the ones already on St. Charles Street, Bray said. The parish is going to pay the difference for the pole exchange, which is about $7,000.</p><p>The new poles come as part of the parish's beautification efforts via the Downtown Development Corp. The money comes from the parish's general fund.</p><p>Houma's Main Street Manager Anne Picou said the new light posts will be “more aesthetic to the downtown area.”</p><p>An existing pedestrian bridge in Dularge that connects La. 315 to Dr. Beatrous Road, near the Dularge Recreation Gym, is expected to be reconstructed into a span for vehicles, Bray said.</p><p>“What we are about to do is include a new pedestrian walkway alongside the bridge for pedestrian traffic,” she said.</p><p>Money for the bridge comes from local taxes. Bray said the bid just came in at around $600,000.</p><p>Bray said these construction projects are expected to have little to no impact on traffic.</p>